Latest news with #John Cotton
Sky News
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Unite votes to suspend Angela Rayner over Birmingham bin strike
Labour's largest union donor, Unite, has voted to suspend Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner over her role in the Birmingham bin strike row. Members of the trade union, one of the UK's largest, also "overwhelmingly" voted to "re-examine its relationship" with Labour over the issue. They said Ms Rayner, who is also housing, communities and local government secretary, Birmingham Council's leader, John Cotton, and other Labour councillors had been suspended for "bringing the union into disrepute". There was confusion over Ms Rayner's membership of Unite, with her office having said she was no longer a member and resigned months ago and therefore could not be suspended. But Unite said she was registered as a member. Parliament's latest register of interests had her down as a member in May. The union said an emergency motion was put to members at its policy conference in Brighton on Friday. Unite is one of the Labour Party's largest union donors, donating £414,610 in the first quarter of 2025 - the highest amount in that period by a union, company or individual. The union condemned Birmingham's Labour council and the government for "attacking the bin workers". Mountains of rubbish have been piling up in the city since January after workers first went on strike over changes to their pay, with all-out strike action starting in March. An agreement has still not been made. 2:58 Ms Rayner and the councillors had their membership suspended for "effectively firing and rehiring the workers, who are striking over pay cuts of up to £8,000", the union added. 'Missing in action' General secretary Sharon Graham told Sky News on Saturday morning: "Angela Rayner, who has the power to solve this dispute, has been missing in action, has not been involved, is refusing to come to the table." She had earlier said: "Unite is crystal clear, it will call out bad employers regardless of the colour of their rosette. "Angela Rayner has had every opportunity to intervene and resolve this dispute but has instead backed a rogue council that has peddled lies and smeared its workers fighting huge pay cuts. "The disgraceful actions of the government and a so-called Labour council, is essentially fire and rehire and makes a joke of the Employment Relations Act promises. "People up and down the country are asking whose side is the Labour government on and coming up with the answer not workers." Sir Keir Starmer's spokesman said the government's "priority is and always has been the residents of Birmingham". He said the decision by Unite workers to go on strike had "caused disruption" to the city. "We've worked to clean up streets and remain in close contact with the council [...] as we support its recovery," he added. A total of 800 Unite delegates voted on the motion.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Birmingham bin lorries delayed by picket line, council says
Council chiefs have blamed "actions on the picket line" for delays to rubbish collections across Birmingham on Tuesday. The city council warned residents there may be some disruption in the service in a message posted on said: "Due to actions on the picket line, there were some delays in waste wagons leaving some of our depots on Tuesday. This may affect the number of collections we are able to make. If today is your collection day, please leave your bins out, and we will collect asap."A spokesperson for Unite, which represents the striking bin workers, said its members "engaged in peaceful and lawful picketing". It comes after the BBC was informed talks to resolve Birmingham's bin strike had broken down completely and some bin lorry drivers were now at risk of compulsory redundancy. Conciliation service Acas had been mediating in the negotiations since May, but the council has now reportedly walked City Council leader John Cotton said the authority had "reached the absolute limit" of what it could offer in talks with the general secretary Sharon Graham claimed the council had resorted to a "fire and rehire" strategy, which she said would not work. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
10-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Call for Birmingham City Council leader to quit in bin strikes row
A union is calling for Birmingham's council leader to quit over what they called the authority's "abhorrent" and "shambolic" handling of the city's bin broke down on Wednesday with the council saying it was "walking away", after conciliation service Acas had started mediating negotiations in John Cotton said the authority had "sought to be reasonable and flexible but we have reached the absolute limit of what we can offer".Unite's national lead officer Onay Kasab said on Thursday: "The way his council under his leadership has mishandled this dispute and with yesterday's appalling announcement, as a Labour councillor he really needs to be considering his position." In response, a spokesperson for the city council did not comment on calls for Cotton to consider his position but said they would be talking to staff and unions about their next union walked out on strike after claiming 170 workers would face losing up to £8,000 a year due to the council's decision to remove Waste Recycling and Collection Officer (WRCO) of rubbish have been seen across the city at points during the strikes, since bin collection workers walked out in January, with an all-out strike going on since March. On Wednesday, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham repeated earlier claims that the council had resorted to a "fire and rehire" the council of a "shambolic" mishandling of the dispute, including a "daft" attempt to negotiate via a statement to the media, Mr Kasab said on Thursday of Cotton: "I think he really has to seriously consider his position."The national lead officer also stated there had "not been numerous offers that the union has turned down"."The question to the council is how do redundancies and cuts to people's pay improve services," he added. "That's the question that John Cotton really has to answer now."The council leader said on Wednesday that the authority had "now run out of time", after negotiating in good added "unfortunately Unite has rejected all offers so we must now press ahead to both address our equal pay risk and make much needed improvements to the waste service".The Labour-run council would communicate with staff and unions as to its next steps, with voluntary redundancy remaining on the table alongside opportunities for training and redeployment, the leader said. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Independent
10-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Union accuses council of ‘abhorrent' practices and calls for leader to quit
Unite's national lead officer has called for Birmingham's council leader to quit his post over the authority's 'abhorrent' and 'shambolic' handling of the city's bin strike. Onay Kasab visited a picket line in the Tyseley area of the city on Thursday to speak to dozens of the hundreds of workers who went on all-out strike four months ago over fears some could face pay cuts of up to £8,000. Birmingham City Council leader John Cotton said in a statement issued on Wednesday that the council had 'sought to be reasonable and flexible, but we have reached the absolute limit of what we can offer'. Mr Cotton added that the authority had 'now run out of time' after negotiating in good faith 'but unfortunately Unite has rejected all offers so we must now press ahead to both address our equal pay risk and make much needed improvements to the waste service'. The Labour-run council would communicate with staff and trade unions as to its next steps, with voluntary redundancy remaining on the table alongside opportunities for training and redeployment, Mr Cotton said. Speaking after meeting Unite members on the picket line outside a city council depot, Mr Kasab stressed that the dispute was about planned cuts to pay and not about workers looking for better pay and conditions. Mr Kasab said: 'The council's announcement effectively means that they are looking at fire and rehire and that's one of the most abhorrent of employment practices. 'We were told previously that under a Labour government that that would be outlawed. 'We have now got a Labour government that said it would be outlawed and a Labour council who are now looking at implementing fire and rehire to bully these workers for the council to get its way, which is about cutting people's pay. 'That's absolutely appalling.' Accusing the council of being dishonest by not referring to fire and rehire in its 'unhelpful' statement, the trade union official added that workers were determined to stay out on strike 'not just as a point of principle, not just because we have been out on strike for all this time already, but because what the council are looking to do simply cannot happen'. The only way to resolve the dispute was through negotiation, said Mr Kasab, who claimed the council's statement gave false impression that there had been 'offer after offer' to settle the issues. 'The question to the council is how do redundancies and cuts to people's pay improve services,' Mr Kasab continued. 'And that's the question that John Cotton really has to answer now.' Accusing the council of a 'shambolic' mishandling of the dispute, including a 'daft' attempt to negotiate via a statement to the media, Mr Kasab said of Mr Cotton: 'I think he really has to seriously consider his position. 'The way his council under his leadership has mishandled this dispute and with yesterday's appalling announcement, as a Labour councillor he really needs to be considering his position.'
